We all have many great conversations in life – conversations where we learn, explore, express, question – but there are some conversations that stand out among the rest. Conversations so rich with insights and revelation, that they fundamentally change you. They inspire you to be better. My conversation with Seth Godin was just that. In this episode, we're diving deep with Seth, the mind behind 21 best-selling books including The Dip , This Is Marketing , and Purple Cow . His latest, The Song of...
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 19 min
How many of us do everything we can to avoid pain and suffering? It’s a natural response, deeply ingrained to protect ourselves. But what if we didn’t run from suffering, and actively engaged and encouraged it to create meaning and purpose in our lives? That’s the philosophy of Akshay Nanavati – Iraqi war veteran, entrepreneur, extreme athlete, and author of Fearvana : The Revolutionary Science of How to Turn Fear Into Health, Wealth and Happiness . His unique take comes out of his military expe...
Feb 28, 2024•2 hr 41 min
What drives us to pursue impossible dreams, fail repeatedly, and keep trying? Our guest, former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, truly embodies the spirit of never giving up. Despite a fear of heights, bad eyesight, multiple rejections from NASA, and other setbacks, Mike's unwavering determination led him to perform heroic spacewalks to repair the Hubble Telescope and to send the first-ever Tweet from beyond Earth’s atmosphere. But how did he maintain his persistence? What psychological skills did...
Feb 21, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Welcome to Volume 16 of Finding Mastery’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. The purpose behind these conversations - behind these AMAs – is to hear from you … to explore the topics and questions that you have been wrestling with on your path to becoming. It is your insights and questions that fuel these epic conversations – so thank you again for all the thoughtfulness, honesty, and trust you put into these questions. Keep ‘em coming! Our co-host, O'Neil Cespedes, is back to guide us through another...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min
What if mastering love is the ultimate high-performance skill? This Valentine's Day, we're taking a deep dive into the heart of relationships with two special guests—our host Dr. Michael Gervais and his wife, Lisa Gervais —a creative powerhouse with a rich background in dance, acting, and truth telling. In this episode hosted by our favorite AMA co-host, O'Neil Cespedes, Mike and Lisa open their lives and their love to us—sharing the joys, challenges, and profound lessons learned on their journe...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 23 min
In this special LIVE episode recorded at Radio Row in Las Vegas for Super Bowl 58, we had the privilege of sitting down with Lisa McCaffrey, the mother of 49ers star running back, Christian McCaffrey. Despite Christian's status as one of - if not THE - best running backs in the NFL, and his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Award, Lisa's excitement and nerves during this Super Bowl week are palpable. Now, the McCaffrey family boasts an impressive athletic history, with Lisa playing college socce...
Feb 09, 2024•28 min
How does someone turn a two-bedroom apartment into the world’s largest hedge fund? Our guest today - the one and only Ray Dalio - knows. A master of global macro investing, Ray founded Bridgewater Associates and led it to unparalleled heights, redefining financial excellence along the way. Ray isn't just a finance legend; he's a visionary author and a vanguard in idea meritocracy. With bestsellers like 'Principles: Life and Work,' he's influenced minds around the globe. His journey from a financ...
Feb 07, 2024•57 min
A couple months back I was in Austin doing some promo for The First Rule of Mastery and had the opportunity to be a guest on Ryan Holiday’s incredible podcast, The Daily Stoic. It’s always such a joy to connect and flow with Ryan – we had a fantastic conversation that I wanted to share here today. This time around was especially fun… not only was the conversation great, but we also got to record it in Ryan’s epic bookstore, The Painted Porch. If you’re in or near Austin… you have to check ...
Feb 05, 2024•2 hr 2 min
Today’s guest needs no introduction – but I’m thrilled to do it anyway. Rich Roll is a world-renowned ultra-endurance athlete, plant-based fitness advocate, bestselling author, host of the hugely popular Rich Roll Podcast, husband, father.... and the list goes on. He's also a good friend – this is Rich’s fourth time on the podcast. His episodes are often our most popular, and there’s a good reason for that. Rich’s humility and frank discussion of his sobriety and recovery – as well as his courag...
Jan 31, 2024•2 hr 43 min
Many of us who are seeking optimal health, performance, and wellness take a variety of supplements. And I think it’s only natural to find ourselves questioning— what's really in these supplements? How do we know if those ingredients are actually doing anything for our bodies and minds? Our guest today, Katerina (Kat) Schneider had the same questions – and she took action to get to the truth. What she discovered led her to develop a new standard in the world of vitamins and supplements. Kat is th...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Welcome to Volume 15 of Finding Mastery’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. In this latest installment, O'Neil Cespedes and I explore the intricate dance between our physical and mental states, especially during times of challenge and change. Key topics covered this week include: The profound connection between our physical and mental health. Strategies for maintaining an optimistic mindset during setbacks. The role of psychological agility in viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. The chan...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Imagine standing on the edge of a cliff, facing an inch-wide line of webbing that stretches across a vast expanse. It’s tensioned between two secure anchor points but it’s a dynamic surface that will bounce, sway, and stretch when you step out on it. This line isn't just a piece of equipment; it's a gateway to mastering fear and discovering your true potential. This is the world of highlining, and Faith Dickey stands at its forefront – embodying resilience and mental fortitude. Since 2008, Faith...
Jan 17, 2024•2 hr 31 min
Hey everybody, Mike here… we’re doing something a little different today… If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably recognize the name Dan Harris – he’s a friend, journalist, fellow podcaster, and was actually one of our earliest guests on Finding Mastery back in 2016. We had some fantastic conversations together and I was lucky enough to be an early guest on his incredible show – Ten Percent Happier – I’ve been a big fan and follower of his show ever since. A...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 4 min
What does leadership look like in the middle of a war zone—one of the most dynamic, agile, and consequential environments on the planet? General Stanley McChrystal knows intimately what it’s like – and is committed to teaching his hard-earned leadership insights to others. Heading up the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), he led the U.S. military’s most elite special ops teams against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and from there was commissioned to command the war on terror in Afghanistan. That ...
Jan 10, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Imagine this... you're a NASA Astronaut. You're on a spacewalk, floating in the vastness of outer space, and suddenly... you go blind. What do you do? You might recognize today’s guest, Chris Hadfield, from his viral video on the International Space Station, where he performed David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' – a performance that garnered over 35 million views worldwide. But Chris is so much more than a musical talent in orbit. He's not only a retired NASA astronaut but also a skilled engineer, a fo...
Jan 03, 2024•58 min
In a world increasingly obsessed with self-image and social validation, how do we truly understand the role of self-esteem in our lives? Is it merely a reflection of our ego? What purpose does it serve? These questions form the core of our conversation with Dr. Mark Leary, a former professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, who retired after 39 years of teaching, publishing 14 books and 250+ scholarly articles and chapters on topics such as social motivation, emotion, and self-...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Today’s podcast is a really special one, as we have on CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year, Dr. Kwane Stewart, a.k.a. “The Street Vet.” Kwane is a veterinarian who provides free veterinary care for the animals society often forgets—the pets of people living without homes. In this heartfelt conversation, Kwane demonstrates the courage it takes to explore the messy edges of emotion, and he opens up about how honoring his feelings propelled him to take life-changing actions. Kwane’s story isn’t just about ...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Today, we’re super excited to share the 14th installment of our Ask Me Anything series. The purpose behind these conversations - behind these AMAs – is to hear from you … to explore the topics and questions that you have been wrestling with on your path to becoming. The goal is to expand on the themes, lessons, and best-practices we’ve discussed on the Finding Mastery podcast in order to make them even more applicable to your own life. By now, our incredible co-host needs no introduction – we’re...
Dec 18, 2023•50 min
“Be bold, dream big. Take the risk. Figure out what it takes to accomplish your goals, and then you will win. Or if you don't, at least you'll get damn near close… We all need to take risks to keep growing and to keep learning.” Imagine the possibilities if you were to take radical and relentless action towards your biggest (maybe even intimidating) dreams – defying fear and uncertainty. Today’s guest, the remarkable Liz Elting, doesn’t need to imagine. She’s living it. Her story is ...
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Where are wearables leading us? In the dynamic, fast-paced world of health technology, what does the future hold? What possibilities can we unlock? How can we leverage the power of wearables to transcend mere physical tracking and genuinely enhance our psychological well-being? These questions form the perfect springboard for our conversation with Dr. Kapil Parakh, a renowned cardiologist and the Senior Medical Lead at Google. Kapil is more than a doctor, he’s a leader in the wearable movement w...
Dec 06, 2023•1 hr 27 min
What can we learn about success from the phenomenal growth of digital technology and the extraordinary achievements of Silicon Valley teams? And almost more importantly, what can we learn from the shell-shocking failures of some other seemingly great businesses? Today’s guest has been researching the digital transformation of businesses for three decades, and he’s landed on some fascinating— and extremely practical— conclusions. In this episode, I’m thrilled to have Andrew McAfee join us for a d...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr 4 min
To date, the Finding Mastery Podcast has been running for 8 years and for over 400 episodes. In that time, we’ve gained extraordinary insights and timeless wisdom from some of the top thinkers and doers in the world. While we have come to realize that there is no singular “golden thread” to how the best in the world operate – we’ve noticed some common themes, skills, and insights that many of these people have utilized on their path to mastery. And that’s why we’re so thrilled to bring you...
Nov 27, 2023•2 hr 1 min
What would you do in the face of a very public and shocking defeat? Would you crumble, or would you use it to grow and learn? Today’s guest chose growth, transforming one of the most heart-wrenching moments in NFL history into a profound learning experience. In this episode, I'm thrilled to introduce a friend and former colleague from my time with the Seattle Seahawks — the exceptional Tom Cable. Tom’s coaching journey includes three years as an NFL Head Coach and seven years as an Assista...
Nov 22, 2023•2 hr 46 min
Welcome to the 13th installment of our Ask Me Anything series, where your questions take center stage and our answers offer you guidance on the road to mastery. The goal behind our monthly AMA series is to dive deep into the questions that challenge and inspire you on your path to becoming your best. We’re stoked about all the excellent questions we received for this 13th AMA. Our co-host, O’Neil Cespedes, is back again to make sure we keep it real as we navigate the rich landscape of your quest...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 9 min
"You cannot get to courage without walking right through vulnerability." They say opinions are cheap, but the cost of FOPO – the fear of other people's opinions – is anything but. As many of you already know, I've recently released 'The First Rule of Mastery,' a book dedicated to overcoming what I've come to see as the single greatest constrictor of human potential: FOPO. And so, in celebration of this special milestone, I'm excited to re-release a pivotal conversation with Dr. Brené Brown, whos...
Nov 15, 2023•55 min
For the first time in Finding Mastery’s history, we're going where few other podcasts have ventured: Outer space. And joining us for this historic and very episode is the remarkable NASA astronaut Dr. Woody Hoburg – tuning in directly from the International Space Station (ISS). How incredible is that? This is Part Two of our 3-part series documenting Woody’s epic journey – from Earth to the cosmos and back again. Last week, in Part One, we explored Woody’s preparations for this missi...
Nov 13, 2023•18 min
This week, we’re beyond excited to share a very special conversation with you… maybe the most special and ambitious podcast we’ve ever done… Finding Mastery… is going to space. Sometimes, life can present us with moments where even our most meticulous planning and preparation reach their limits. These moments are where we find ourselves at a crossroads, needing to decide whether to boldly leap into the unknown or to stay grounded in the familiar. Now, imagine the weight of that choic...
Nov 08, 2023•2 hr 56 min
How can you train your brain to unlock more joy and success in your life? Diving deep into this exciting question is today's guest, Dr. David Eagleman, a revolutionary thinker and trailblazer in the world of neuroscience. "One of the most important things you can do for your brain is to constantly challenge it." As an esteemed Stanford professor and intrepid explorer of the human brain, David's contributions to the field of neuroscience are significant. He has pioneered studies on the brain's pl...
Nov 01, 2023•2 hr 35 min
Imagine staring up at 3,000-foot vertical wall of rock—a wall that no one has climbed before—and taking that first grab, exploring uncharted territory, physically and psychologically. Tommy Caldwell did just that. Tommy is a legendary professional big wall rock climber who redefined the boundaries of human achievement by scaling the steepest, most barren face of Yosemite's El Capitan—the infamous Dawn Wall. And Tommy's story isn't just about climbing; it's about the power of the huma...
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Welcome to the 12th installment of our Ask Me Anything (AMA) series! The goal behind this series - behind these conversations – is to answer your questions and explore the topics that come up for you on your own journey to becoming your best self. We’re back with our favorite co-host—O’Neil Cespedes—and today, we’ve got a special one for you… As many of you know, on November 7th, my new book, The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think of You, is coming out – and the respons...
Oct 23, 2023•54 min
